Imagine the Fire
by loudmist
Summary: The Brotherood takes refuge in a secluded house of Sebastian Shaw's in the mountains of New York. Erik is developing and finalizing his plans for the Mutant War when a runaway find's their house. Is this 'vulnerable' woman a friend or foe? (post First Class, T for language and such)
1. Chapter 1

_So yup, another story, and my second X-Men: First Class story! Hope you guys enjoy Erik Lensherr and his 'crew'! Please message me or review, so I know what to fix and what to keep!_

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**Chapter One: Lost and Found**

"Erik."

"What?

"There;s someone near the house, heading this way. Stuck in the storm," Emma said. Erik glanced up from his notes. She was in her diamond form, which she only did when something was serious.

"Send Azazel," he said, and moved his hand to continue writing, but she continued.

"It's an unarmed woman, no threat. She's just lost, her tent is ruined."

"Then leave her alone," he said.

"She's dying, Erik."

At that, he raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"My dear Mystique, what are you doing?" he asked, knowing that only one of them would care to spare a life if possible.

The diamond form on Emma was swallowed up by blue scales in a few seconds.

Raven put a hand on her hip.

"Well Frost said the same as you, she was going to send Azazel, but I thought I would give it a try asking-"

"No. As I have said before-"

"We can't take any chances, I know! But she's dying, she's alone, Frost has invaded her mind and she just got lost in the storm– she is no threat!"

"No."

"She's dying, Erik!"

He gave no answer, and bent his head down and continued writing.

"Fine," Raven said in a huff and left.

It had only been a few weeks since they'd broken Erik out. Frost had taken them all to a hidden house that Shaw owned under a different name. It was remote, perfect for them; the middle of Prospect Rock, in the mountains in New York. One of the only houses for _many_ miles. It was fully stocked with a winery in the basement, underground parking, and home theater. Basically it was another one of Shaw's luxury living spaces.

There had been a raging snowstorm for the past week. Sleet, wind, rain and snow. The storm has eased up for a while, but there were still heavy winds.

Raven was practicing combat with Frost when she had suddenly stopped and turned to her diamond form. She said there was a woman who had seen the lights of the big house and was fighting to reach them, hoping for help.

And Raven was determined to give that help.

She slid down the stair rail and stopped in front of the big double oak doors.

"I'm going for her. Try to stop me," she said to Janos, who was standing next to the doors with his arms crossed, his long hair covering half of his face.

"I wasn't objecting. Just here to watch you die, that is all."

The two of them still hadn't been able to get along since the move to the house. He was constantly cracking jokes about her looking like a dragon or snake, and she would reply with a different Wizard of Oz reference or tease him about his hair, or his name.

"See you in a few, Jane," Raven said as she gave a smile and threw open the doors.

"Raven! Your form!" Angel said, covering Janos' loud exclamation as he broke into a string of rapid Spanish. Raven looked down.

"Oh," she said, and soon she turned into her usual human form in outerwear, boots, ski pants, and thermal shirts, the blonde hair spilling onto a big coat she had grabbed from the closet. Janos gave her a long look up and down her human body.

"Take this at least," Angel said, holding out a flashlight. Raven took it and smiled again before she walked out and braced herself against the hard winds.

The last thing she heard was Riptide yelling after her: "Jan-OS! Jan_os_, you lizard!"

Raven shut her eyes and pulled on the strings of her hood to pull it close around her face. She took a couple of steps and shone the flashlight around. The high winds were screaming in her ears, but she kept walking forward, wanting to save the woman. She could feel Charles' voice nipping at the back of her mind.

"_Lost lives that had chance of saving - are in vain, my dear. Remember that. Don't stand idly by." _

"Hello!?" she yelled out, her voice lost in the wind.

No answer.

She continued, thankful for her choice of multiple layers of clothing. It got so cold in the house sometimes she would even throw on a sweater. She wasn't always so comfortable being naked _and_ cold.

She tripped over something, and landed face first in snow. She cursed as she lifted her head and spit out the melting water, shaking her head of the flakes. Her flashlight had landed a few feet away, and Raven did a double take after she saw what the light what shining on.

A pile of green and black, and she noticed fiery red hair flowing out from one of the ends. Raven gasped and half crawled, half stumbled over to her. She turned the pile over and saw the girl's face, white as the snow around them.

"Shit! Wake up!" she said, feeling around the woman's cold neck for a pulse. It was barely there.

"C'mon we gotta go!" Raven said, wrapping the woman's arm over her shoulder, and strugging to stand up with the extra weight.

She managed to stay steady on her feet and take a few steps when she heard the now oh-too recognizable pop of Azazel arriving. She then felt the dreaded tug at her stomach and the air left her lungs as she blacked out. The next second she was in the living room of the house and losing grip of the passed out woman she was holding.

Before she could react, the woman was falling; and to her surprise Erik rushed forward and caught her. He pulled her over to the sofa, and lifted her feet to place her fully on the cushions.

"I swear to god, Raven," Erik said as he turned around, his face livid.

"I was just doing what I thought was right!" she said defensively. "If you are so intent on keeping her away, why did Azazel come to help?"

"What if it had been a trap? What if there were agents out of range of Frost, ready to take you, or worse kill you? You could have jeopardized us all!" he raised his voice.

"I couldn't just let her die out there! I actually have a conscience!" she yelled back.

Erik's mouth turned to a thin line as he glared at her.

"Azazel," he said, turning his head, "towels and hot water."

In a pop Azazel disappeared in red smoke.

"Erik, are you really going to-" Emma started but Erik interrupted her.

"Go find a robe," he said as he started to snap open the buttons of the woman's black coat, taking it off and tossing it onto the floor. "Someone get her shoes, or she'll lose her toes."

Angel stepped forward, her wings wrapping in and blending into her back. She started pulling at the laces.

"Erik…" Raven wasn't sure what to say.

"You are a fool, lizard," Janos said quietly next to her.

"I saved her, didn't I?" she said, turning to look at him, not flinching at how close they were.

"Your lips are blue, go warm up," he said and grabbed her arms. He spun her around and pushed her towards an armchair near the already burning fire.

Why was he looking at her lips? More importantly, why wasn't she giving some retort about him ordering her around? Raven blinked, and looked over at their new and dying guest.

Her hat was off, showing wavy bright red hair that was frizzy and tangled by the wind and was wet from all the snow. Her skin was icy white, as well as her lips.

"Is she alive?" Raven asked, her voice shaky.

Erik already had the woman's shirt unbuttoned, and he rested a hand on her neck. He slightly flinched at the coldness of her skin, but Raven watched his eyebrows furrow in concentration. Raven could've swore she saw the right corner of his mouth twitch upwards as he took his hand away and slid the shirt off her arms.

"She's alive," Erik said, chancing a side glance at Raven who let out a happy sigh.

There was a pop and Azazel walked forward, dropping a few towels and putting a small pitcher of steaming water with a washcloth inside on the coffee table.

"Stay upstairs for a while, we don't know when she might wake up," Erik said as he reached for the towels. There was another pop as he grabbed a towel and covered her up to her shoulders.

He grabbed the washcloth from the pitcher and wrung it out. He folded it and rested it on her forehead when her eyes flew open and she cried out, her hands flailing.

The woman managed to slap Erik on the head and face at least a few times before her was able to grab her wrists.

Raven and the others had rushed around and now all stood behind Erik, intently watching their now awake visitor, who was still moving around, trying to get out of Erik's grip.

To all of _their_ surprise, Erik reached forward and his fingers lightly and awkwardly touched her flushed cheek gingerly. She froze at his touch, then relaxed and took a deep breath. Her eyes flitted to the faces looming over him, and then landed on Erik. Her eyes widened for a second, but then went back to normal.

Erik drew back his hand from her cheek.

"We're not going to hurt you. In fact, you have this one to thank for your life, she saw you from the window," Erik said, pointing over his shoulder to the human Raven. The green eyes didn't leave Erik's gaze as she muttered "Thank You".

Then her eyes drooped closed and she fell back against the cushions of the sofa, now limp.

"She's still in shock… I'm not sure if it's the adrenaline or if she was maybe attacked before we found her. Right now her mind is a mess; I can only see the snowstorm – and a tent. She was in a tent," Emma said.

"But she'll be ok, right?" Raven asked her. She nodded.

"She needs rest. And probably not in her underwear…" Emma said, giving Erik a look. He turned away, and scooped the woman up, making sure the towel was covering her. Her limp body hung in his arms, and her red hair draped over his arm and shoulder.

Emma raised her eyebrows at Raven, and she shrugged, not knowing what had gotten into him either.

Raven pointed to her temple, then at Erik, who was now walking up the stairs, but Emma shook her head. When Erik was out of sight, she spoke.

"He always knows when I'm prying into his mind… it's quite weird."

"Charles probably helped with that," Raven said, with a slight grudge.

"I know you miss him," Emma interrupted her thoughts, acting the same as Charles did. Raven gave a side glance to Angel and Janos, who were pretending not to eavesdrop.

"Whatever. It's just wierd how he changed his mind and suddenly helped her," she said.

"You still don't know?" Emma said, grabbing her arm and pulling her to another room.

"What?"

"He's doing it because of _you_ Raven! My god, he will always feel guilty about Charles, and the fact that you left Charles for himself; he feels the need to take care of you in the same way. He's only is caring for her because of you."

"He said no to me in the first place anyways! I just didn't listen to him. So obviously he had no choice… but… his tone, the way he touched her cheek…"

"Well, he's ignored enough of my advances for me to believe he is not of the right interest…"

"Okay, didn't need to know that-"

"But he did act a little different towards her, you're right. This _is_ going to be interesting," Emma said with a slight smile.

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_So who is this mysterious woman? Read more to find out!_

_PLEASE REVIEW! _


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 **

_(two days later)_

Her head was groggy, and her body felt like a rock. She groaned and kept her eyes closed as she slowly gained consciousness.

If this was a hangover… she wanted to kill whoever let her drink so much. Which would mean herself, more likely.

"Hey, you coming to?" she heard a deep voice say. Her shoulder was gripped by a strong hand which gave her hard shake.

"Mhmm… stop that hurts," she said breathlessly. Her whole body hurt.

"Sorry."

The hand pulled back and she finally managed to get her eyes open. Dark yet luminous blue eyes looked back at her.

Then it all came rushing back.

_Her mission. _

She groaned for two different reasons.

"Who - what… oh god where am I?" she said hoarsely, bringing a hand to her head. It really was throbbing in pain, but she had to pile on the cluelessness and the vulnerability.

"Let's just say that you're safe. Still in America," he said shortly.

Sophie lightly laughed. He was being distant, but he was protecting himself. Too bad for him the agency had traced all of Shaw's properties, including those under aliases. Some of the agents even dubbed Erik 'Shaw 2', since he seized all of Shaw's assets, selling everything but the one house. He did well to cover his tracks; it took the agency a while to finally find the trail.

"Wow, that's not vague at all," she said, sitting up. The sheet dropped from her body, and she was only in her purple bra and panties.

"Holy crap!" she yelled out, scrambling for cover under the sheets, pulling them to her neck.

"What the hell am I doing half naked?" she asked, sternly glaring at Erik. She recognized his face from the photos instantly last night in her moment of consciousness. He did seem menacing, but he was handsome; they countered each other in a complimenting way.

"We found you barley alive in the storm. Your clothes were soaked and you were in shock, we had to take them off."

"Who's we?" she asked, meeting his eyes finally. They stared at each other for a few static seconds before he looked down.

She had to ask, for show, but she already knew who was there. There were six of them including Erik; the one's he had managed to hastily recruit to his 'cause'.

"There's s- there's five of us here. It was Raven who was looking out the window and spotted you," he said, hoping the lie would work. "And thankfully three of them are women. I had them assemble a few garments for you," he said, pointing over to a pile of clothes on the vanity chair.

The room was quite lavish –but she knew enough about Sebastian Shaw to know he wasn't stingy with his Nazi money. She was in a full sized bed with silk sheets and a light but warm duvet cover. The furniture looked all new, and the art on the walls expensive.

She looked back to Erik, who had his hair slicked back like in all of the photos the CIA had of him. But his usual scowl was not in sight.

"Thanks…" she said with a certain pause, not sure how to ask who he was without obviously lying.

"Erik," he said, holding out a hand. She took it and tried to ignore the chill that surged up her arm.

"Sophie."

"Well, get dressed and come meet the rest of us. There's aspirin on the dresser. Just call out if you need help," he said. There was another static second before he stood up and left, closing the door behind him.

She scoffed at the last comment. She could take care of herself.

She threw off the covers and fixed her hair in the mirror before she rummaged through the clothes.

She was thrown off by Erik's behavior. From what she learned of his files, he was tortured and experimented on as a kid in the concentration camps during the Second World War. It was Sebastian Shaw, a Nazi officer, who discovered his power to manipulate metal, and through the torture, strengthened his power.

When the War ended, Erik started working to make money, enough to give him the resources to kill off the Nazi soldiers of his concentration camp one by one, leaving Shaw - also a mutant - for last. When Shaw became a threat to national security, America's agencies got involved, and with Charles' help and other mutants the agency trusted, they all set out to stop him.

But Erik went rogue. He killed Shaw, while putting on a show in front of millions of soldiers and civilians who couldn't help but notice a floating submarine heading for the shore, or a few dozen missiles hanging in the air and then turning around and hurtling back towards the ships which they were fired from.

She went over his personality file in her head: stern, reckless, stubborn. _Violent_.

She picked a pair of jeans that fit somewhat snugly but it was either those or pink sweatpants – she hated pink. She threw on a purple thermal that fit thankfully a little loose. She found a pair of nice socks in the pile and slipped them on, warming her cold feet.

She walked out, and checked each of the rooms on the floor. There was another staircase going up, but she knew that was the main bedroom and bath, and there was a different set of stairs for the attic. She counted four more bedrooms on the second floor, along with two common rooms. They didn't have a maid- the beds were unmade and the common rooms were somewhat messy.

She then went down the stairs slowly, and heard voices. She stopped and waited, wondering if she might find out more about them, and what they thought of her.

"She's still groggy, and shaken," she heard Erik's voice.

"What did you say to her?" a smooth male voice asked.

"There are _five_ of us here, and we saved her from the storm. Azazel, you take a long vacation until we can figure something out. Just wait for the signal."

"Not a problem, I've been meaning to travel New Zealand," a dark and gravelly voice said. Then there was the sound of a pop.

Sophie racked her brain. Azazel… he was the one who teleported. Then she remembered seeing the red skin and the horns in the file… she shivered, glad he wouldn't be around.

"He's such an enigma, that one," a girl's voice said, and Sophie recognized it from last night, the one egging her to stay alive.

"He's used to being alone and traveling," another woman's voice said.

"Erik, we have brought in a threat," the smooth male voice said.

If only they really knew.

Sophie took a few quiet steps forward, reaching the wall next to the door.

"She's not a threat. Emma already checked that, Janos," yet another female voice said.

"And on that note, Frost, you will stay out of her mind while she is here. Unless we feel that she is becoming a problem, you won't disturb her in that way unless discussing it with me first. Agreed?"

"Erik-"

"You could compromise everything if she catches on to you. Agreed?" he asked again more sternly.

"Yes," Emma replied harshly.

Sophie smiled in triumph.

She wouldn't have to be concentrating 24/7 on ignoring her true status as a CIA operative.

She had been 'recruited' just three months after the Cuba crisis.

After the breaking news of a new race of 'mutants' with unnatural powers had spread across the nation, there was an uproar. People left and right were either claiming that they were a mutant, or they knew one, and that's when a warrant was set out. Rewards were given to those who turned them in, and punishment for whomever hid them.

Her parents – without hesitation – had turned her in. With her power, she had created a lot of trouble for them growing up, and they never let her forget it. They almost cried in rejoice when the agents came and took her away.

She was taken to a lab where they tested on her for days straight without any rest. Needles, heart tests, MRI's, running on a treadmill for two hours, and many more types of pain. But she fought back, and she drew up the lab techs' blood; on their faces, and other places on their bodies as well.

That's when the agents took her way yet again, let her recoupe, and gave her a proposition.

Infiltrate Erik and his team, and gain his trust. Through surveillance and the right signal, the CIA would let her know when to leave it to them to bring the group in. This meant that they would have to trust her enough to let her see Azazel.

She agreed with slight hesitation, but she would've chosen anything but being experimented on, being poked and prodded. They treated her completely different when she agreed; they gave her a nice room at the agency, she was treated like an agent – but there were the few that still treated her the same when she was a lab rat.

That's when they filled her in. They let her know all the targets, but didn't give her any more details about the mission at hand, due to the power of Frost.

The last thing she remembered before all of this was falling into a deep sleep after drinking some wine her handler gave her. Then she was waking up in a tent during a hard snowstorm, her mind groggy and faint.

She realized, as she made her way to the house that the map in the tent told her to go to, that it was all part of the mission; if Emma read her mind, she would know who Sophie was straight away. That's why it was explained to her so vaguely. Good thing she was only thinking of survival and killing the bottle of wine from the other night as she was stuck in the storm. If she had thought of her job… it would all be over.

"And Raven, you already know what you have to do," Erik said lightly. Sophie inched in closer.

"Yeah, I do. It's no problem, I miss this form."

She meant the blonde form; the one Raven had been with since she was young, and only ditched for her original form when she joined Erik. Sophie remembered how cool the blue scales looked in the photos.

"And Angel-"

"I can keep them in, don't worry Erik."

Sophie took another step forward but hit the door, and it bumped against the wall with a thunk. Sophie winced, and then quickly entered the doorway, to throw off any notion that she was eavesdropping.

"Sorry, still getting used to my footing," she mumbled hastily, looking around the room, her head dipped down.

Erik was on a plush red sofa, with two blondes on either side of him; she recognized them as Emma and Raven. There was a black haired man standing by the fireplace, Janos, his hair hiding half his face, and another black haired girl draped on an armchair, Angel, playing with her hair.

They all stared at her, and she stared back.

Seeing them in person was more jarring than the photos. She had never been in proximity with other mutants.

"Hi," she cleared her throat. "Hello. I just… um, wanted to thank Raven? Erik told me it was you who saw me…" she said, looking at Erik, pretending she didn't know who Raven was.

Sure enough, in human form and wearing flannel pajamas, she stood up and walked over to her.

"I thought you might have been an animal or something at first. I'm glad you made it," she said, giving her a short hug, and then hooking an arm with hers.

Sophie just smiled, heartfelt. She knew it was probably Emma who read her mind to know she was lost in the storm, and that it must have been Raven to take the chance to save her. It was probably the fourteen years she had spent with Charles Xavier that fueled her kindness towards a stranger.

"I owe you my life," Sophie said, speaking the truth. "Thank you," she said, looking at Raven's brown eyes. She wondered if that was their real color.

She heard Janos scoff, and he left the room hurriedly.

Raven rolled her eyes.

"He's an asshole, so I'll excuse the behavior on _his _behalf."

"No, it's ok. I'm being too imposing. I should probably get-"

"Don't be ridiculous! You need to regain your strength, come and sit. Meet the rest of us," Raven interrupted, guiding her to the sofa and sitting Sophie next to Erik.

"You've already met Erik," Raven said, Sophie nodded and gave him a smile. He didn't smile back but one of his eyes twitched slightly.

"Then there's Emma," the woman in question only nodded, "and Angel," the black haired girl gave her a bright smile. "And Janos is the one who stomped off. He's not the most… sociable."

"That's an understatement. But hey, you look great in my jeans," Angel said.

"Oh. Thanks," she said quietly, feeling self conscious now. She couldn't help but look back to Erik, who to her surprise was looking right back at her. She looked away quickly, back to Angel. "Thanks for the clothes, girls. Are mine in the wash? I'll dry them and can-"

"You're fretting, Sophie."

Erik's calming voice made her heart flutter. She stopped talking, and took a deep breath, racking her limited creativity for a convincing story. Then it hit her.

Find a similarity, a common factor.

She took a deep breath, and looked around.

"I suppose I owe you all an explanation."

Her statement was met with silence, so she continued.

"I've kinda been, well no… I _have_ been… on the run." On the last word she looked down to her wringing hands.

There was a moment of silence, but then Emma broke it.

"From who? Or what?"

"Emma that's really not-" Raven started but Sophie decided to continue, the story forming in her mind; staying vague but surprisingly true.

"From everybody, really. My family and friends. And the… _authorities_."

At that last word she looked at Erik. His brow twitched, but he kept the same straight face.

"And on that note," she said, turning her gaze to Emma, Angel, and Raven. She thought that they would be the once to convince her to stay. "I think I should get out of your hair so you all aren't-"

"You are to stay here until we let you go back to running away, Sophie."

Erik's voice did something to her. Her heart stopped, her breathing stopped, her thinking stopped. Why hadn't they prepared her for him? His smooth talking, his direct gaze… she wasn't sure anymore that she could handle the mission. Even more, he was acting… different. The files and her handler had told her it would be difficult to establish a staying point at the mansion… yet Erik was just offering her to stay.

"But-" she said, looking back at Erik, knowing she was in trouble.

"But nothing. You are still in shock and not at your best. You will stay here until you are in full health, as you should be when you run away from whatever it is that is chasing you. You need to be ready," Erik said.

That statement was followed by silence, and Sophie wasn't sure what to do with it.

She stood up, knowing she would need some alone time to figure herself out. Her mission and how to act with the targets; all without becoming emotionally involved.

"Well, let's just say I'm almost at full health, so I should be out of your way in a short time. I… I should go… I have things to…" she stuttered, not sure what to say.

She took a breath, and decided she needed to regroup.

"I'm going to take a walk. I won't go far, and the storm has passed. And since my clothes that fit are here, I'll be back," she said.

And with that, she walked out of the living room, found the front double doors –grabbing a pair of boots before she opened them, embracing the biting cold on her face. The storm was no more -for now- and it was just a white and quiet landscape in front of her.

She walked, her boots sinking in the deep snow, her body freezing cold, but she kept going, needing the distance to filter her thoughts. She had been put in worse situations.

She kept walking, trying to take in everything.

The way Erik looked at her… she couldn't ignore it. She couldn't ignore the pang she felt in her chest when she saw the first picture of him, and that pang in her chest was much more intense when in proximity with him.

"Calm down, Sophie, calm down," she spoke out loud to herself. "You're fine. You're fine," she repeated to herself.

"Are you sure?" Erik's voice came into her head.

"Yes I am sure!" she said aloud again, shaking off the other voice. "I'm fine. Sophie, you're going to be fine."

When she felt the hand on her neck, the warm feeling of his touch made her jump. She turned to Erik; who was standing next to her in the snow, looking more bundled up than she was.

He held up a bright red parka, and she took it.

"Thanks," she muttered, embarrassed that she was talking to herself and he was there to witness it. "I didn't really prepare when I left," she said truthfully.

She had no idea in hell how she ended up in the tent. Her handler, Shaw, had arrived at her room (she called it a prison cell) the night before, going over the files again with her once more, then leaving her with a bottle of White Chardonnay that she had devoured in her depressed and alone state when he had left.

"We're not going to turn you in, Sophie," Erik interrupted her thoughts.

She turned to him, raising a brow.

_Remember, you're just a random runaway_. She said to herself – mentally this time, not aloud.

"Really?" she asked. "I mean there's probably some ransom-"

"I don't need to know what you did. And neither do the others. Don't you think it might be suspicious the five of us are out here in the middle of nowhere?"

She couldn't help but smile, and then shrugged.

"Well you don't seem like the normal family, but it's far beyond me to judge."

Erik's mouth twitched, but then went back to his regular frown or scowl… his poker face, Sophie decided to dub it.

"Where are you traveling from?" he asked.

"Delaware," she said, the first state that popped into her mind.

"That's quite a trek," he said.

"Well, I'm not as weak as I may seem. The storm… it took me by surprise."

"As you did to us. I have to say, it's… refreshing to see a new face."

"Well, then I might have to assume you are in the same state that I'm in – with the whole run-away state of things…" she said, hoping he would confide in her at the least.

"You are correct. We're laying low for a while. Things happened that we couldn't control, and now we need to stay invisible for a few months or so."

"Same here," she said. She shivered, and pulled up her hood. "The winds broke the frame of my tent, and it collapsed on top of me. I still need to go back to get everything else."

"I'll help you."

"No, you really don't have to-"

"You have only been here for a day, and I have yet to trust you. I'll come with you." His harsh voice made her look away, his face in the scowl – such an angry face.

She nodded, and started walking.

"Do you even know where you are going?"

"I just remember trekking uphill for a long time. It'll eventually come up," she said, concentrating on not tripping.

They spent at least five minutes walking in silence, when Eric broke it again.

"I think it's to the right," he said softly.

She stopped, and looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"How do you know that?"

"I just… I mean the snow over on the left is more untouched, and the piles are higher than to the right, where you might have been trekking," he said quickly.

He didn't meet her eyes, and it took her a second to realize it.

He was using his power to detect the nearest metal – which there was a lot of in her tent. The frail frame, the pots and pans, the clasps in her clothes…

"Ok. Then if you know so well, lead the way," she said without argument.

They walked for a while more, and she noticed something in the distance.

"Oh, thank god," she said. She started running. Or at least tried, in the heavy snow.

She had no idea what to expect to find in the tent. Maybe some notes for her mission, a code, anything to help her. She reached the green pile, and Erik was beside her, also short of breath. The snow was deeper than they thought.

"Well, it's not a tanker… do you trust me now?" she asked, turning towards Erik. His mouth only twitched a little, and he went back to his poker face.

He didn't answer, but reached forward and rummaged in the material of the flattened tent until he found the opening.

He crawled inside, and she crawled in after him.

"You may not trust me," she said as she tried to ignore how his scent filled in the small space, and she took notice of both of their quick breathing. "But please, don't go through my things. Or in a second I'll be back in your room, checking all of your drawers," she threatened.

"I don't use drawers," he muttered, as he stood up on his knees, adding more space and room to the tent.

Her clothes were all in disarray, as was everything else. There was a backpack, some pots and pans, a mini stove that worked on gas, and a broken lantern. There were maps strewed all around, with lots of lines and drawings; set trails that her handler or some other agent had probably mapped out.

"Where were you headed?" he asked, eyeing the maps. By the quick look she got of them, she was heading north, and she saw a city circled.

"Kingston, Canada," she said.

"How were you planning to get across the border, being a runaway and all?" he asked.

"Swimming," she said.

"You can barely withstand a snow storm, how do you-"

"I am actually… an expert swimmer," she lied. That was ironic, if anything.

He didn't reply. Only gave her a look as though to say he saw through her crap, and then started grabbing anything within reach and packing it in the duffel bag he found in the corner.

She did the same with her backpack, threw it onto her shoulders, and then gathered the broken bits of the tent frame.

He held open the flap for her, and she went out first, him following quickly, ignoring her hand to help him up. She knelt down to start folding it, but Erik just grabbed it and bunched it all together.

"C'mon, it's too cold for us to stay here."

She nodded, and they walked back the way they came.

"Get used to not traveling for a while, Sophie. This snow storm has been reported to last for two weeks," he said, breaking the silence of the winds that had slowly crept up on them.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, and nodded, staying silent.

"What, storm caught your tongue?" he asked, grinning. That itself also made her speechless.

"That, and my plan…"

"A good week of rest will do you well, we can help you prepare-

"I don't have any money sir. Hence me living in this tent. I used all I have trying to get out of the blasted city. I can clean and cook, and have other skills that I can use for you, or the others-"

"Is it so hard to believe a stranger would help another in a time of dire need?"

"Yes," she said bluntly, and truly believing it.

He frowned, but eventually nodded. She continued looking at him, not wanting to speak; she felt angry yet hopeful, she was so confused she might as well been bipolar.

"You may not trust me or the others, but there is no other form of shelter around, so you are left without a choice. If any of the others do or say something to let you feel uncomfortable or threatened, let me know. They may live with me, but I am the one in charge. Understand?"

She nodded, staying silent.

"Good. Now if you want to help, be my guest, but you will never be forced to do anything you don't want to."

She hid a sigh. If only he knew.

* * *

_I know it was a long one, but had to establish the back story! Hope you enjoyed the twist!_

_Please leave a quick review, anonymous or not!_


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

She crept throughout the second floor to the common room, where Emma kept one of her many cigarette boxes. Sophie tucked one behind her ear as she went back through 'her' room and onto the balcony, one that was running on all sides of the mansion.

The wind had died down, thankfully.

It had been three days. She'd slept through most of it, waking up for a meal or a game of Operation with Raven, who always won, and then having weird talks with Erik; either on the politics of President Kennedy, or why fruit had stickers on them in the market.

Angel, Raven and Erik had made her feel comfortable, but Emma and Janos had her feeling like she was still a hostile intrusion.

On top of that, she had to keep her cover.

She had went through everything they had recovered in her tent, but didn't find anything to further her mission -what she was supposed to do- only that the maps proved she was 'running away' to Canada, and thankfully extra clothes that she actually felt comfortable in.

She had to act timid and scared about the living situation, and continued her role as the weak and clueless girl that she knew she should be.

Sophie hated it.

She buttoned up the third layer of her jacket and put the cigarette in her mouth. She brought her hand up and snapped her fingers, igniting her flame, lighting the cigarette. She brought her hand to a fist as she inhaled, took the cigarette from her lips, and exhaled, breathing a sigh of relief.

She wondered if Emma had a closet of cigarettes… they seemed endless. Maybe Sophie should just come out and admit she was a smoker too, then Emma might warm up to her.

She only got two more drags before she felt the wind knocked out of her body, and her cigarette went flying.

Her head hit the wood of the balcony hard, and she cried out at the impact. Erik's face was furious above her, a stiff hand on her clavicle, a threatening stance as though he could choke her within seconds.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She thought. Why didn't she look around before she used her power? She was so careful of it the past few days. But it was three in the morning; she didn't expect anyone to be awake.

She panicked as his hand tightened; she choked, fighting for a gasp of breath. He was going to kill her. He was probably figuring it out in his head right now. He'd wake up Emma and then figure out the whole truth.

Oh god, she was going to die. He was going to smash her with the elevator or something. She hated that feeling of dread it brought to her. She was beginning to like-

_No!_ she thought. _No. You weren't beginning to _do_ anything. Focus, Sophie. This is a small glitch, let's fix it over. Empathy, that's all we need._

"Erik –"

"Who the hell are you?!" he asked, bringing his face closer.

"What?" she pretended to be confused.

"Who are you? I knew you were keeping something!" he said, pushing his hand harder down on her throat, which seized up and she stopped breathing. She quickly reached up and grasped his wrists.

She felt her power surge rapid heat into her hands; they glowed like burning ash and Erik yelled out and fell back.

She took the time of his stumble to stand up, but he kicked at her legs and she fell over again and she let out a painful grunt at the impact of the floor. He bent over her again, hands on her wrists this time. She raised her head, getting close to his angry face, and then smiled – distracting him before she threw her head forward, hitting him hard. His grip loosened and she brought a fist to his neck.

He choked and fell over. She scrambled and stood up as she pulled her leg back and aimed for his stomach to kick, but he grabbed her ankle before she managed to hit him. He pulled, and this time she made sure her butt hit her fall and not her head. She kicked both feet, hitting him a few times, but then he was straddling her, hands on her arms, his legs over hers so she couldn't kick either.

She let out a sigh of defeat.

"That wasn't a lighter, who the hell are you?" he said again, his grip tightening on her arms, making her wince. He didn't budge.

"My name is Sophie-"

He brought his face closer to hers.

"Your real name…or you'll regret it."

"It's Sophie, Erik! And how do I even know_ that's_ your real-"

"Tell me who you really are, Sophie."

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Out loud," he said tensely.

She then noticed they were both breathing heavily, and she became more aware of their position of him straddling her. She looked up at him, the balcony light bearing down on them, casting his face in light and shadow. His pupils dilated, and she almost stopped breathing.

"Tell me, Sophie," he said again, his voice rough, his grip on her arms tightening.

She stopped, unsure what to say. He saw her use her power, there was no doubt about that. But why was he so persistent for her to say it?

"My name… is Sophie," she said, and his face came closer. She felt his hot breath on her lips now. "And- and I have an ability."

At that she gave a short gasp of surprise, realizing it was the first time she ever admitted it out loud, more so to herself.

"There you go," he whispered before he leaned in more; their lips touched. He added a smidge of pressure, but before she could even push him away he moved back, grabbing her hands to stand the both of them up. She lingered in close proximity for a few seconds, but then stepped back.

"There. Fine. I said it," she said shakily. "But I'll be damned if I let you turn me in. I do owe you for saving me, but it won't cost me my freedom."

She knew it worked when his dark stare softened. The way he looked at her unnerved her. But she couldn't look away.

It wasn't the horror that her friend's faces shown when she used her power in front of them the first and only time, nor the pity and guilt that her parents looked at her with when the men took her away. It wasn't the comical fascination that the lab techs gave her as they tested on her.

He was looking at her with… admiration.

He took a step forward and grabbed her. She didn't budge, still flushed and somewhat angry at herself for letting these feelings get to her, but also for letting herself get caught with her ability. She was hoping to reveal it to all of them at once; when she was more comfortable she had a place with them, when they would feel comfortable enough to bring Azazel back.

"You can say mutant, you know. It's something to be proud of," he whispered in her ear.

Sophie let out a soft cry and wrenched out of his grasp, trying to ignore the heat spreading down her neck and arms from his breath. She was angry at the word, it was what her parents had called her with disgust before they called the hotline for the same name.

She hated that word. Her friends and family threw it in her face to show how detestable she was to them.

"Sophie-"

"Don't follow me, I will hurt you."

She knew he would follow her, but she wasn't sure what he would do. Maybe now that he knew she had a power, he might learn to trust her more.

She backed away, heading towards the small double doors to her room which she had left open.

She was less than a foot away when they closed on their own accord, even though the wind had died to a slight breeze. She didn't falter and grabbed the door knob. She swung the door open, only to have it closed, pulling her hand with it. She jumped back, truly surprised. The metal handle was vibrating.

Her head whipped around to Erik, whose palm was out .

"Wh – who – what – oh my god," she stuttered, acting surprised that he was a mutant too.

"Like I said," Erik said, stepping forward again, and she couldn't help but back away; his presence was demanding. She hit the door and reached behind her to open to the door handle, but it didn't turn, however the knob was still vibrating.

She slightly panicked, still not sure what Erik was planning to do with her.

The panic disappeared when he stopped, a few inches away, his face close to hers again.

"It's something to be proud of. However I understand why you were hiding it. And now I fully understand your determination to face a snowstorm alone."

"That's the main jist of it. My parents and friends… they were more than happy to-" she stopped. Why the hell was she still talking? And telling him the truth, no less?

Erik's other eyebrow furrowed as well, making him look angry.

"Um, I'm going to stop now, to spare you from my endless rabble. But I need to keep moving, I'll leave in the morning," she continued.

"As I said, you still have to recover," he started, but she interrupted without thinking.

"Why do you want me to stay here?"

Erik stopped short, and raised his eyebrows.

He then lowered them, and reached forward. She refrained from flinching, feeling her jewelry vibrating. He had complete control over her.

Instead of a threatening touch, his eyes glanced down to her neck. He fingered the chain of her necklace and moved down to the charm. A silver cut-out shape of a hummingbird.

"Free as a bird," he muttered.

"Something like that," she said shakily, feeling hot at his touch, even more to his understanding of her necklace. His hand still held the charm, his knuckles resting on her chest. He could probably feel her fast beating heart.

Her stupid brain kept her talking.

"I loved them; we had a feeder on our porch. They were so amazing to watch – so unrestrained and beautiful…" she faded off, and looked down. She tried to pull away, but Erik pulled her back and stepped closer, basically caging her in.

"As are you," he muttered so softly she barely heard it.

She gasped and met his gaze again, feeling trapped again.

"Goodnight," she stuttered. She was so foolish accepting this mission. She should've known she would be susceptible to his charms… why wasn't she prepped on that?

Erik took a deep breath, and leaned forward, his lips brushing her ear, making her shudder – and not against the cold.

"Goodnight, my hummingbird."

At that he left her. The cold washed over her violently as she watched him walk away, around the corner, and hear a door close.

Still shaking, she entered her room and crawled into bed and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

_Secrets, secrets! _

_Please review! Positive or (construcive) critisism, even anonymous if that's you're style!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Sophie?" she heard a voice calling to her in her dream.

She was back at home , in her backyard, laying in the grass as she lazily pet her dog, Amy. She turned her head and saw her dad, in his bright red apron, the smell of fresh corncakes wafting from behind her.

"I'll be there in a minute, mom," Sophie said sleepily.

"Uh… no. It's Angel, honey, and I'm definitely not your mom."

Sophie's eyes flew open, and found she was staring at Angel, her brown eyes looking at her questioningly. She moved, and Angel stood back.

"Sorry to wake you, but it's already past noon, and Eric and Emma were bitching about sleeping patterns."

"Uh, no, it's ok," she replied, sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes. "Sorry to call you mom… it was just a dream."

"It's all good. Janos and Raven are trying to make brunch, but knowing them we might have black eggs and slushy oatmeal. You don't happen to know-

"I'm an expert omelet maker. Give me a minute and I'll be right out," she said, fingering the covers. Angel nodded and left, leaving a confused Sophie; frowning as she got ready.

So Erik hadn't told them what he discovered last night. A shiver ran through her as she remembered the fight with Erik, the confession, the kiss, him showing himself to her… she'd never had something so intimate like that with someone.

But he hadn't told the others. What was his plan?

She shook her head. She had to focus on her own plan. So Erik knew about her, she had that connection; now she had to work on the others.

She made it to the kitchen, approaching the entrance slowly as she heard raised voices. Janos was holding a whisk, Raven a spoon, and both were brandishing their utensils at each other.

"You whisk it when you want an omelet! If you're making scrambled eggs, you use a spoon!" Raven said.

"The eggs are lighter when you whisk them, they taste better!"

"Says the one who thinks Oreos and peanut-butter are a new revelation!" Raven replied, throwing her arms up in the air. Drops of the raw egg from her spoon flicked onto Janos, landing in his hair and on his face.

Raven only covered her mouth to dispel a laugh. Janos growled, and flicked his whisk back at Raven, raw eggs splattering onto her hair and face. Raven gasped, and let out a sound of frustration before she threw the spoon into the sink.

"Fine, have it your way. The food will taste terrible, and then finally people will ban you from the kitchen," she said as she wiped at her hair and face.

"Peanut butter and Oreos taste amazing…" Janos said, his voice lowered. Raven turned to fire back a comment, but her mouth was caught hanging in midair as Janos reached forward and wiped a small glob of raw egg from her cheek. He wiped his hand on his pants as he turned to the bowl of the still to be cooked eggs, leaving Raven standing there confused. At that, Sophie decided to come in.

"I hear angry voices. There should never be negative attitude in the kitchen, it can leak in through the food," she said, quoting her grandmother. She grinned as she watched Raven's cheeks grow pink, and Janos' hands began fidgeting with the handle of the whisk.

"It seems there are problems with the eggs? Did we want scrambled, or omelets?"

"Scrambled," Raven said.

"Omelets," Janos said at the same time.

Raven sighed, and turned to the fridge.

"I don't see why we can't have both," Sophie said, walking to the middle of the kitchen. "I'm craving an egg sandwich myself, anyways."

Janos made a sound of disgust.

"His 'lordship' doesn't believe in sandwiches," Raven explained, bringing out the bowl of eggs. She began to crack them, tossing the shells into the sink.

"Seriously Janos?" Sophie asked, turning to him.

Janos met her gaze, his eyes almost a black color. Sophie shivered, feeling vulnerable.

"Sandwiches are for the lazy," Janos said.

"Trust me darling, you see me make a sandwich, you'll be thinking differently," Sophie said, shaking her head as she walked towards the bread box, and started loading the toaster.

"Darling?" he repeated in disgust.

"Score one for Sophie! A great new nickname!"

"Lizard, I swear if you call me darling-"

"Why the hell are you calling me lizard? Yes, I do pushups, but I've got no tail, only two legs-"

"But you-"

"Hey!" Sophie yelled out, clapping her hands to get their attention. They both jumped, and Janos looked scared, Raven the same.

That's when it clicked for her; Janos almost ousted Raven's true form in front of her. Sophie finally realized the cruel nickname.

She pushed it aside, and went back to the problem at hand – two bickering idiots.

"I've only been here for a few days and am already sick of your fighting! Now either it's this ridiculous sexual tension – so get it over with, or you both are just simply incompatible. This is a big house, it will be easy to avoid each other. Now, this is me while _tame_. I see you fighting again, and you won't want to know what comes next!"

They both stood there with shocked faces.

"Now go, both of you are off kitchen duty for a while."

"But the others-"

"I'm a good teacher, the others need to learn to make food. It's a surprise you have lasted this long, is there a magical delivery service or something?"

Janos and Raven shared a look, but then left, leaving through different doors.

Sophie smirked and shook her head. She wondered how Azazel was able to get take-out without letting himself be seen.

"That was spectacular," Erik's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she jumped.

Then the toaster dinged, and she let out a small shriek.

She turned to face a grinning Erik, something she had never seen before. It took her a few seconds before she realized she was staring, and looked away, towards the unmade breakfast in front of her. She sighed, bringing out the hot toast with a light touch, and adding more bread to the toaster.

"Really, even I haven't been able to make them stop, and I can get menacing at times, as you now know."

She scoffed, and poured the eggs onto the pan, steam rising and making a hissing sound. She reached over to grab the wooden spoon, but Erik grabbed her before she got to it. With his other hand he gently grabbed her elbow, frowning down at her wrist.

She looked down as well, and raised an eyebrow when she saw finger mark bruises. She didn't realize he had been grasping at her so tightly during his moment of anger.

"I hurt you, that wasn't my full intention," he said, still staring at the bruises.

"Really? So you tackling me was…" she said, fading off to give him chance to explain. He looked up at her and his eyebrow twitched. She sighed and pulled back, grabbing the spoon out of his hands.

"You must understand that immediately I knew you were trouble when I saw that flame emit from your fingertips. I assumed that you knew about us and were trying to garner some reward for our location-"

"Honestly, I didn't want to believe it," she interrupted, taking the pan off the stove and scooping the eggs onto her buttered toast, making her sandwich.

The empty pan in her hand was pulled from her grasp. She looked up but saw that it was levitating in the air. She looked over at Erik, his eyes on the pan in concentration as it moved across the kitchen, and lightly dropped into the sink, making a small clatter.

"I didn't say I denied it," she said, grabbing the sandwich and making her way towards the dining room. Erik moved into the doorway, slapping his hands on the wall.

"But you do not favor the fact."

"Favor the… do you think I like that you have such a strong power? I can make little fireballs, whoop de do. You can move metal! Doors, pans, necklaces, I don't even want to know what else! How do you think that makes me feel?"

He frowned.

"Are you saying you're jealous?"

Her face twisted, she couldn't believe he was that self absorbed. She turned around and left through the living-room, deciding she would just eat in her room.

She was climbing the stairs when she heard Erik's voice not too far behind.

"You have a magnitude of power you haven't reached yet. I believe there is much more than just a small ball of fire that you can accomplish."

At that she stopped and turned, now just angry. Not cover angry, herself angry. Erik came up to the step below her so he had to tilt his head to look up at her.

"I've no interest in bringing even more attention to myself, Erik," she said shortly. That was true.

Erik actually glared, then shook his head, seeming defeated. He took the one step to get closer to her.

"That's a pity," he muttered. He stared at her for a few more seconds before he turned away and left her on the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

She was sitting at the window, looking out at the pure white snow, hoping to see something; someone maybe.

"The hummingbird yearns to fly."

She didn't startle at his voice.

Of course he wouldn't knock.

"I'm not used to staying in one place for long…" she muttered. She looked down at her fingers, now twitching.

"It's… the best for you. You'll find out in time," Erik said, standing next to her, also looking out the window.

She frowned, and stood up quickly, turning to face him. She knew that to show restraint would be more realistic for a run-away.

"That's not good enough Eric! I told you this won't cost me my freedom. And now you know I have the power to burn this place to the ground if-"

He growled in anger and got in close to her face, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I welcomed you into my home as a guest. And you will return that act of kindness with respect. Do you understand?" he said.

Shaking, she frowned and stepped back.

"If I am a guest, then I have the freedom to take a walk. _Alone_. If I'm not back in half an hour, than you can come and get me," she said, walking over to the corner to slip her boots on.

"Absolutely not, it is windy and the clouds are coming back – it's going to start snowing soon. I can't let you-"

"The hummingbird yearns to fly, Erik," she said, repeating his words back to him. He raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and then left.

Sophie only shrugged as she put on more layers and tucked her pants into her socks.

She slid down the rail of the stairs like Raven had taught her, but stopped in her tracks at the bottom when she saw Erik and Emma at the door, waiting for her.

Oddly enough, Erik was holding out a big coat for her, along with a scarf. Emma was only glaring as usual.

Sophie lightly took the scarf and parka from him, bundling up. She glanced at Emma, whose eyebrow twitched, and then back to Erik.

"So, like I said, worry if I'm not back in half an hour. And thank you for this Erik. Proves I'm not a prisoner."

And with that she left.

Emma turned to Erik and sighed.

"She just wants to take a walk. She's torn about leaving or staying. Part of it has to do with you…" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Erik shook his head and went back to his room without a word.

* * *

She breathed in the fresh air, smiling.

Wasn't like this in the city.

It was getting harder to walk, the snow got thicker the more she moved down the hill, the house growing smaller and smaller behind her. She used her power to warm her hands, thankful there wasn't any falling snow to restrict her from it.

"Hart," she heard near her, and she jumped, tripping and falling on her ass in the snow. She cursed and stood up, wiping herself off.

"Finally. Damn, girl, you've got the agency in chaos. What the hell is going on?"

She fumed and turned to her old handler, Rennar, hiding in the trees.

"What the hell is going on!?" she repeated, walking towards him. "What is going on is that I've not been prepared enough for this! You only gave me a back-story, that wine you gave me has me remembering nothing else!"

Rennar frowned, and shook his head.

"I told Blatcher that he put in too much," he muttered.

"Well it's a good thing I'm here now," he said.

"Damn right! Erik discovered me."

Rennar's eyes bulged.

"Repeat?"

"Erik discovered my ability last night. However he didn't disclose it to the others."

"So no sight of Azazel?" he asked. She only shook her head. He sighed.

"This is dangerous enough. The agency was only expecting your first signal to clarify that you've established yourself in the house. You were to climb to the roof and give us a signal of five of your… flame whatever's."

"Well thanks to Blatcher, that was all forgotten."

Rennar sighed.

"Hart, you're in this now, there is no backing out. Doing that will get you killed and worse, get us found out. Now, the next time you provide a signal, it will only be when they introduce you to Azazel. After the signal, you use your powers to destroy the bedrooms, and eventually you will all have to evacuate. That is when we will move in. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she spat.

"Can you remember this?"

"Yes," she repeated.

"Good. Now go back. There's an officer on sight every other two hours. Only, and if only, you feel threatened or that your cover is blown, do you give a signal with a flashlight. Understood?"

"Can I go now?"

"Understood?!"

"Yes."

"Go. Good luck, Hart."

"Try not to freeze out there," she muttered, hoping he did the opposite.

She left him, walking back up the hill towards the house. She stood in front of it, her head tilted back to take in the view.

She sighed, shook her head, and walked around to the back to take the walk alone she truly wanted; to clear her thoughts.

She didn't know how long she walked, but she found a rock-slide to sit herself down, staring at the scenery of the untouched snowy mountains above and beneath her.

She saw a few hawks fly low, a rabbit hop around right by her feet, and heard some distant howling.

"Sophie!"

She looked up, and heard a distant whirring sound. She gasped, it was Angel… she was using her power?

"Angel?" she called out.

The whirring noise stopped, and soon enough Angel came into view with a look of relief; but without her wings

"Thank god, Erik is furious!"

"Oh, god, how long have I been-"

"Two bloody hours!" Erik's yell echoed around the trees.

Both Sophie and Angel jumped.

"Angel, does he ever-"

"No, he's just really fancy with words when he's angry," Angel interrupted, shaking her head. "Nothing to worry about… actually we have a small pool going to see-"

She broke off when Erik came into view between the trees.

"I should-"

"Yeah, this is all on me. Good to get out of here before he takes it out on you too," Sophie muttered.

Angel squeezed her shoulder before walking away. Sophie looked at her back, hoping to see small holes for her wings to fit through; but her coat had a cape.

"Two goddam hours! We saw you walk down the hill, why are you here?" Erik said, coming up close to her. Sophie rolled her eyes and sat back down on the rocks.

"People don't always take walks in straight lines, Erik."

"You said after half an hour-"

"I under estimated okay?!" she said, standing up.

"What were you really doing?" he said, stepping towards her.

She stared him right in the eyes.

"I was taking a walk, Erik."

His eyebrow twitched.

Sophie sighed, and walked away.

"I told you that I-" he started, but she turned as she spoke over him.

"You told me that I wouldn't be a prisoner, Erik! And you're acting like a prison warden right now. If I want to take a walk, I will fucking take a walk!"

"The weather is dangerous! Look what it did to you last time! You can't be taking such risks-"

"Listen, Erik. I'm a guest, right?"

He took a short nod.

"Then I still have my own freedoms, and that includes taking my own risks. Got it?" she said, and walked back towards the house.

Erik came into step besides her.

"You need to understand that I am in a position right now to allow no risks. And that includes my guests."

"Then why don't you lay it out for me then? I deserve to know why you insist on keeping me locked up!"

Erik stopped quickly. She stopped as well, turning to face him. Sophie frowned.

"What now?" she spat out.

"Calm down, Sophie," he said, looking down at her hands. She did the same, and gasped when she saw they were both in flames.

She stepped back in surprise, raising her left hand. Only her right hand had lit, for as long as she knew the extent of her ability.

"Sophie, I know that there is a lot to answer about all of this, but just give me time-"

"I'm usually a patient person, Erik, but when it has to deal with my own-" she felt the heat raising in temperature, but instead of hurting her it gave her a warmer buzz.

"I understand, but-"

"But you don't!" she yelled out, and without warning her raised left hand shot a literal fire ball at a nearby tree. It ignited in flames instantly, and fell over, right towards them. Sophie jumped back in time as the flaming pine tree hit the snowy ground, with Erik on the other side.

"Any sentence with a 'but' means that there is nothing of use left to listen to. You are going to continue to spew crap to me about why I should be staying… I'm thinking I should just leave. Spare you the so called trouble," she yelled over the roar of the flames.

At that, Sophie briskly walked back towards the house, leaving Erik trapped behind the tree.

It took him too short of a time to reach her again, as he grabbed her arm and spun her quickly; she bumped into him but stepped away, out of his reach.

"Good things come to those who wait, Sophie."

At that, she laughed. It was better than crying about it.

"Please, you think that me waiting to see what my power would do, as it destroyed my house and me relationship with my parents; it was right of me to wait for them to grow to hate me?" she yelled.

Erik only stood there, staring at her with the same unpenetrable face.

She threw her hands up in the air, and went back to walking towards the house. Of course she wasn't planning on leaving, but she was extremely curious to what he would say next.

"It isn't time, yet. Just... give me a week, Sophie. Please, at least that. Consider what I have done for you; at least you owe me this," he said, walking next to her again.

She nodded, biting back a grin.

"Sounds reasonable. But a week, Erik. A week."


End file.
